[Unit Project 1] The Proof of Effort

  My artifact is basketball. The main color is brown or orange, the line is black. The color is faded. It was produced by Molten Corporation. This ball's model is JB2020. The weight is about 500g. The diameter is about 22cm. It is used only mini basketball. It is written team's name on the surface by black pen and some parts are disappear. The team’s name is "Kashiwazaki Wings". There are scratches on the surface. Some parts of lines are peeling off.

     My artifact story started when I was 10 years old. I joined a mini basketball team when I was a elementary school student. This is because my friend M invited me to the mini basketball team, and I like to play sports at that time. But I don't play it now, I just watch them. Also, some friends had already played basketball, so I interested in it. Now, I thankful to her. Firstly, my parents didn't allow me to start it because club activitcly cost a lot of money by getting all the tools and going on an expedition, but I continued to persuade them. So, finally they gave up and allowed me to start it.

     The day when I participated in practice for the first time, I was nervous. Usually, a team is consisting of only the school members, but the team I would join is consist of two school members. This is because the number of members in each school was small, so this made me more nervous. Maybe, my face was like a stone.

     Before the practice, I said to team members, "I'm Megu. Nice to meet you."

     "Nice to meet you too!" Teammates responded me.

     They made a smile and seemed like kind, so my tension was relieved. But I couldn't anything because controlling ball is difficult. The coach and teammates taught me how to play basketball and their playing was so cool, so I respected them.

      When I just started basketball, I didn't choose ball and use it randomly. However, I knew that senior members use their own ball, so I wanted to my ball too. This is because some ball's air escapes easily and these balls were left in the ball case after teammates took it, so controlling is difficult by using this.

     But M told me, "Members participating in the game have to use a good ball preferentially."

     "That's true. . . I think so, too." I said.

     So, I regret not being able to participate in the game and I was disappointed. A few months later, I understood almost rules and became able to shoot, dribble and pass. So, I could take part in games sometimes. I was very happy.

     Around that time, M told me "Let's choose own ball together!"

     "Yes! I've always wanted to have my ball!" I said.

     Then, I chose one. I chose my own basketball and I'm glad to have one. At that time, my height isn't tall, and I like the moment I get the score to take a long shot. Because of this, my position is guard. Usually, guard must control the play they want and carry the ball forward. So, I need to develop my skills more. Also, I wanted to be a good player and contribute to the team. I always use this one when I practice shooting, handling and so on. Sometimes, I got back my home with my ball to practice at home. So, I have attachment for this because I made an effort and became addicted to something for the first time in my life at that time and I used it almost every day. From this experience, I learned the importance of effort and the difficulty of continuing.

     When I graduated from elementary school, I decided to continue playing basketball in junior high school. So, I was sad to left one. But my team members presented me this ball, so I was really glad to this. This ball makes me remember memories practicing hard and enjoying basketball!

     Nowadays, various types of sports are attracting attention in Japan. Therefore, many people start thinking playing sports not only adults but also children. However, the birthrate is declining year by year and it's treated as an important issue in Japan. Also, the number of children who play sports is decreasing because children spend more time playing games and using smart phone. With this, the number of club team is decreasing. Some children who want to join club team can't start playing sports easily, the others can't play it sufficiently. This is because there're no club team nearby or there're the small number of members. So, I think creating a familiar sports environment for children is necessary in local society. If there're such environment, children get opportunity easily to play sports and more children will be interested sports. Moreover, it allows children to learn many skills. For example, communication skills, the ability to think and the ability to exercise. For these reasons, we should increase opportunities to play sports and the number of children who play sports by creating a familiar sports environment.

     Many people become lack of exercise when they transition from high school to university. I think this is not good for their health and we should improve this situation. Elementary and junior high school students have physical education class several times in a week, so they have exercise habits. However, when they become university students, they have more free time and there is no physical education class unless they choose taking classes. So. university students should exercise consciously in their life. For example, when they move, they walk and use stairs as much as possible. Also, there are a lot of contents related to exercise on YouTube recently, so we can access it easily whenever you want. Lack of exercise has negative effects both mentally and physically. For example, people will become easier to get tired and miss the opportunity to release stress. This is negative effect by the lack of exercise. From the above, university students should exercise consciously in their life.